Anglers Enjoying Hot Barracuda Bite, Outstanding Thresher Catches

www.fishrapnews.com - By: Bob Vanian | 5/12/2009 3:05 PM Last updated: 5/12/2009 3:05 PM

Thespring fishing season has yet to bring great yellowtail and whiteseabass action for most anglers but there has been plenty of funfishing to be had -- with good numbers of barracuda, calico bass andthresher sharks.

True,some yellowtail have been biting, and every once and a while someonescores a nice catch of big white seabass. Skippers have good reason toremain optimistic that a significant run of both species will begin anyday.

Barracuda have been biting very well at the CoronadoIslands, and anglers on many trips have been returning with limits ofbarries. There have been a few yellowtail hooked at the Coronadosincidental to fishing for barracuda, and calico bass fishing has beenimproving for those flylining anchovies or small sardines in the kelpand around the boiler rocks.

Most of the fishing at the Coronados has been done whileanchored -- and the best of the barracuda and yellowtail action hasbeen found while fishing spots around South Island. Some of the bestspots for the barracuda (and a chance at a yellowtail) have been thenorth end of South Island, the Ribbon Kelp along the lee side of SouthIsland and the 5-Minute Kelp, located below and inside South Island.Sardines and surface iron have been working for both barracuda andyellowtail.

Thresher shark fishing has been outstanding, with lots ofthreshers caught that have been well in excess of 300 pounds. There hasbeen recent good fishing reported at the upper end of the 9-Mile Bank,the 178 Spot and the 100-fathom curve outside of La Jolla -- but thebest of the most recent fishing has been found at Carlsbad Canyon.

Threshers have been biting well on Bait-O-Matics that havebeen baited with mackerel. Good colors in the Bait-O-Matics have beenblack and purple, as well as black and green. X Rap Rapalas have alsobeen producing well, and green mackerel has been a productive color.

Private boater Woody Brickley passed along a report fromHarry and Lan Okuda of Alfresco III, who fished a recent trip to theupper end of the 9-Mile Bank and caught a 340-pound thresher shark.Brickley reported that the thresher took more than two hours to catch,and that it was caught on 80-pound test line, with Lan Okuda being thelead angler.

Boater Bob Woodard Jr. of Dropback reported catching a235-pound thresher shark on a recent trip to the 178 Spot. The sharkwas hooked while Woodard was fishing solo, and a helper from a friend’sboat came aboard to assist with landing it.